Albion to face La Liga new boys Girona in penultimate warm-up fixture

Brighton and Hove Albion have confirmed that they will face La Liga new boys Girona at Nou Estadi Municipal de Palamos on Tuesday 1st August for their penultimate warm-up fixture ahead of the new Premier League season.

The match will be played at the 3724-capacity home of nearby Palamos, kick-off at 8pm local time, which is 7pm UK time. Albion fans will be able to pay on the day, with entry prices to be confirmed in due course.

Girona are unable to use their own Estadi Montilivi as it is currently being upgraded for the club's first-ever season in the top division.

In the past Girona FC have played second fiddle to basketball in the city, and the club spent almost half a century, between 1959 and 2008, in Spain's amateur divisions.

Since 2008 their story has similarities with Albion's recent history, including missing out on the last day of the season, two years ago.

Having established themselves in the second tier of Spanish football after promotion in 2008, they missed out on another promotion on the final day in 2014/15 - due to an injury-time equaliser - and they then crashed out of the playoffs.

They finished fourth in 2016 as they continued to chase promotion to La Liga, before finally clinching a runners-up spot this season to seal promotion to the top flight.

The match is sure to prove popular with Albion fans, with the stadium based just over an hour's drive north from Barcelona, with the stadium located in the suburbs of Palamos.

Albion will then face Atletico de Madrid at the Amex in their only home friendly on Sunday 6th August, kick-off 4pm, before welcoming Manchester City for the season opener - currently scheduled for Saturday 12th August.